Faculty & Staff

Events Faculty & Staff Gallery Makerspace Students

Gallery artist-in-residence bridges tradition, technology during workshop

Repko interacts with students during a “Bridging the Gaps” workshop, where participants built bridges representing the past, present and future as they relate to the artist’s work.

“Jeff Repko was the ideal choice for our first artist-in-residence in the ‘Material Matters’ series as his work combines traditional materials with digital fabrication methods,” said Penny Griffin Lutz, director of The Gallery at Penn College. In addition to a public reception for his exhibit, “In Proximity,” Repko’s five-day residency (Nov. 5-9) featured workshops in the gallery and The Dr. Welch Workshop: A Makerspace at Penn College. “His artistic vision was a perfect fit for Penn College’s community of makers,” Lutz added. “He took advantage of the equipment in the makerspace to begin a new sculpture, and he enjoyed the one-on-one time he spent with students, educators and the public during hands-on workshops. Jeff felt so welcomed by our campus community!” “In Proximity” is on display through Dec. 11 in The Gallery at Penn College, on the third floor of Madigan Library. Hours are 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. The gallery is closed Mondays and Saturdays and will be closed Nov. 27-Dec. 1. The “Material Matters: Past, Present, Future” series will include two additional short-term artist residencies over the next two years and is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Faculty & Staff General Information Students

Community Challenge breaks records

Reed (at left in white sweatshirt) shouts final instructions at the start of the trail run, including the invite to the Habalars’ home for post-race nourishment.

Saturday’s Community Challenge attracted over 400 participants from seven states and raised close to $20,000 – breaking both participant and financial records for the annual event supporting the Salvation Army of Williamsport.

“The Community Challenge attracts so many good-hearted people, from running champions to first-time hikers who are looking for a supported challenge through beautiful and rugged terrain,” said Michael J. Reed, an event organizer and Pennsylvania College of Technology’s vice president for academic affairs/provost. “Over 17 miles of trails are used for the event, and we change the courses every year so participants experience a new challenge and get exposed to more of the beautiful landscape. Our volunteers put in so much time and effort to ensure everything goes as planned. This year was a lot of fun with many smiles, strong feelings of accomplishment, and only a few bumps and bruises. The cause, coupled with the unique race experience, truly made Saturday a special event.”

Faculty & Staff Students

College’s military family honored on Veterans Day

Penn College's military family honored for Veterans Day

On this Veterans Day, PCToday honors the Penn College students, faculty and staff who have served (or continue to serve) the United States.

Alumni Faculty & Staff Students

Employee’s ‘value of service’ reflected in YWCA recognition

Katie L. Mackey, academic skills specialist at Pennsylvania College of Technology, is one of 15 new inductees into the YWCA Northcentral Pennsylvania’s Women of Excellence program.

“While Katie’s commitment to improving the lives of others is evident through her work at Penn College since 2005, Katie’s value of service to others has been a theme throughout her entire life. Katie is selfless in all of her interactions,” her college nominator wrote. “She role-models the values of Woman of Excellence in her professional and personal roles. Katie’s resume illustrates the broad impact she has through our community, from working to create a more inclusive and supportive educational environment for students at Penn College, to the United Way, Family Promise, their children’s activities, and more.

“We are so grateful that she chooses to spend the majority of her day at Penn College, where she is respected and highly valued.”

Art and Graphic Design Faculty & Staff Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications Students

Students’ wood sculptures on display in downtown Williamsport

Wooden mask sculptures crafted by Pennsylvania College of Technology students are on display at the new office and gallery space of Lycoming Arts in downtown Williamsport.

The artistry of 12 Pennsylvania College of Technology students and a professor is gracing the new office and gallery space of Lycoming Arts, 46 W. Fourth St.

As part of a Wood Sculpture art elective, the class crafted masks, inspired by a study of African masks. Each mask was hand-carved with chisels, mallets and rasps, and the students were encouraged to experiment with shape, color, texture, mixed media additions and other design elements.

Building Construction Construction & Design Technologies Faculty & Staff Students

Manufacturer opens plant to college’s concrete program

Lehigh Hanson's massive horizontal rotary kilns were among the highlights of a plant visit by concrete science students and faculty. — Lehigh Hanson’s massive horizontal rotary kilns were among the highlights of a plant visit by concrete science students and faculty.

Penn College students and faculty were recently invited by Doug Cassatt, of the Lehigh Hanson Heidleberg Cement Group, to tour the company’s Fleetwood Cement Manufacturing facility. “The students were introduced to the sophisticated process of cement production by an extremely knowledgeable Lehigh Hanson staff, from the raw material in the quarry to the final packing facility where the product is loaded and transported by truck or rail,” said Joseph F. DiBucci, a concrete science technology major and president of the ConCreate Design Club. The plant boasts numerous recycling processes – water pumped from the quarry provides an active supply for the borough, for instance, and 7,000 to 10,000 tires per day are used as a heat source – and $16 million was spent for equipment to cut down or eliminate carbon emissions in the production process. The Berks County facility is equipped with a “state of the art” lab to analyze the chemical makeup so the customer is given the best product possible. “One of the main attractions was the horizontal rotary kilns that broke down the raw material to clinker at a temperature of 2,500 degrees,” added DiBucci, from Glenshaw. “The visit was an eye-opening experience that demonstrated the amount of work that is required to produce cement, the most widely used building material in the world.” The tour was followed by a luncheon and discussion. The college’s School of Construction & Design Technologies offers a two-year degree in concrete science technology, unique to the East Coast.
Photo provided

Automated Manufacturing & Machining Corporate Relations Faculty & Staff Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies Scholarships Students

Haas Foundation assists Penn College manufacturing talent

Ken Wawrzyniak, sales engineer for Haas Factory Outlet, presents a $15,000 grant check to Pennsylvania College of Technology on behalf of the Gene Haas Foundation. The grant will support scholarships for manufacturing students, as well as student competition teams. Accepting the grant on behalf of Penn College are Richard K. Hendricks, instructor and department head of automated manufacturing and machining, and Elizabeth A. Biddle, director of corporate relations.

A foundation dedicated to growing the next generation of manufacturing talent has bestowed a $15,000 grant to Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The Gene Haas Foundation awarded the grant to support scholarships and student competition teams at Penn College. Students seeking a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering technology, an associate degree in automated manufacturing technology or machine tool technology, or a machinist general certificate are eligible for the scholarships. Recipients will be selected by the college.

Events Faculty & Staff Students

Nov. 13-14 blood drive targets donor shortfall

In order to meet patients’ ongoing needs and alleviate a nationwide blood shortage, College Health Services and the American Red Cross encourage the Penn College community to donate during this month’s two-day Bloodmobile stop on main campus. The visit will be from noon to 6 p.m. Nov. 13-14 on the second floor of the Bush Campus Center, and successful donors will be rewarded with a free T-shirt, pizza and baked goods. Schedule a visit online and save 15 minutes on appointment day by using the convenient RapidPass to complete the pre-donation readings and answer health history questions.

Faculty & Staff Gallery General Information Students

College gallery shines as one of Penn State’s ‘Hidden Gems’

This 2015 exhibit blending medical technology and fiber art, titled “A View Within,” is just one example of the gallery’s displays correlating to Penn College’s array of majors from radiography to automotive technology.

The Gallery at Penn College, a resource for students and a cultural asset to the college and surrounding communities, is spotlighted in Penn State’s “Hidden Gems” series. The online feature focuses on noteworthy aspects of the university’s Commonwealth and affiliated campuses – including notable or unique landmarks, academic programs, research facilities, student organizations and more. Nine photos, judiciously selected from the sweep of presentations since the gallery moved to Madigan Library in Fall 2006, illustrate the newly posted piece.

Events Faculty & Staff Students

College to defend Community Cup in Saturday’s benefit trail races

There’s still time to sign up for the 2019 Community Challenge, featuring 5K, 10K and half-marathon trail races set for Saturday, Nov. 9. The event raises funds for the Salvation Army of Williamsport, which assists about 400 area families each month.

Runners, hikers and walkers are encouraged to sign up by 11:59 a.m. Wednesday at the registration site, where participants can elect to join the Pennsylvania College of Technology team. Donations are also accepted at the site, where donors can assign funding to a specific team member.

Faculty & Staff General Information Students

If a picture paints a thousand words … start adding ’em up!

The group absorbs the astonishingly beautiful view from Band Rocks.

“I think the natural beauty in our area is distinctive to the college,” said Thomas E. Ask, professor of industrial design. For “at least 12 years,” Ask has taken his Penn College students (and some of their friends) on optional excursions to explore that beauty, namely at Rock Run. Located about 30 miles north of campus in the McIntyre Wild Area of Loyalsock State Forest near Ralston in Lycoming County, Rock Run offers an abundance of crystal clear streams, waterfalls, trails and cliffs to discover. “The students love our adventures,” Ask related. “I usually go once in the fall as a way for new students to get to know one another in the major. It’s a nice team-building exercise. Many students in our major are from the Philly and New Jersey area, so this is all new. I’ve been climbing since I was in college, so I love to share the fun.” The cliff they scaled on a recent expedition was a small one that Ask has used with newcomers for many years. Not from this area, the professor says he learned about Rock Run from a student years ago. The region’s scenic beauty continues to inspire him (and his young charges). “We are within an hour of downhill and cross-country skiing, rock climbing, caving, sailing, kayaking, powerboating, backpacking and hiking,” Ask added, expounding on the options. “Nature provides a refuge from the stress and dynamics of campus life.”

Alumni Automotive Diesel & Power Generation Faculty & Staff Students Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies

‘Retired’ UPS vehicle finds renewed purpose with students

Students, faculty and UPS Freight representatives – including two Pennsylvania College of Technology alumni – gather with a retired vehicle donated to the college. Joining students outside the Schneebeli Earth Science Center are (at left) Mark E. Sones, instructor of diesel equipment technology, and James R. Poehailos, UPS Freight fleet manager; and (at right) 1983 automotive technology alumnus Gregory A. Tama, retired senior director of maintenance, engineering systems and technology, and 1992 diesel technician graduate Scott C. Moore, district fleet manager. (Photo by Marci M. Hessert, secretary to the School of Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies)

Students in Pennsylvania College of Technology’s diesel equipment technology program have invaluable laboratory access to a time-tested road warrior: a 2006 Volvo VNL single-axle tractor, donated after its retirement from UPS Freight fleet service.

“UPS is a valued partner of Penn College and our students. This gift will provide our diesel students an opportunity for experience on the real-life wear and tear they will find in industry,” said Elizabeth A. Biddle, the college’s director of corporate relations. “This is a mutually beneficial opportunity because the signature brown on the truck resonates with our students, reminding them that UPS is a partner in their education and a potential employer for their career.”

Faculty & Staff

Penn College welcomes new employee

PCToday continues its regular feature – welcoming new full-time and regular part-time Pennsylvania College of Technology employees, as reported by the Human Resources Office.

Alumni Faculty & Staff Landscape/Horticulture Students Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies

Students get alumni lesson in networking, confidence

Pictured in front of pink chrysanthemums at Longwood Gardens are (from left) students Courtney M. Wilcox, of Troy; Jessica M. Duke, of Allentown; Robert J. Williamson, of Fort Washington; and Alexis B. Hassinger, of Bellefonte.

Garris visits her alma mater's Schneebeli Earth Science Center. — Garris visits her alma mater’s Schneebeli Earth Science Center.

Against a backdrop of yellow mums are (from left) students Joseph N. Moore, of South Williamsport; Alexis M. Witherite, of Spring Mills; Taylor L. Keiper, of Archbald; and Austin R. Weaver, of New Holland.

McGinty explains North Creek's automated potting process. — McGinty explains North Creek’s automated potting process.

Twenty members of the Horticulture Club and faculty members Justin Shelinski and Carl J. Bower Jr. enjoyed a pair of Tuesday field trips: Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square and North Creek Nurseries in Landenburg. The group savored a beautiful fall day, saw the Chrysanthemum Festival display at Longwood, and toured North Creek facilities with general manager Tim McGinty and section grower Kassie L. Garris, a 2018 alumna in Penn College’s landscape/horticulture technology: plant production emphasis. (Garris visited campus last week to talk about the postgraduate path she took, from employment at Longwood Gardens to working at North Creek.) McGinty shared that he first met Garris during a Penn College field trip to North Creek two years ago, when the then-student introduced herself to him. “It just goes to show: You never know what your experiences might bring,” Bower said. “The networking you do, whether it is while you are a student or in your professional career, can lead to some great opportunities. I always tell my students to never be afraid to shake someone’s hand, introduce themselves and say they are a Penn College horticulture student … because that can take you far.” North Creek is known for its sustainable horticultural practices and native perennials, added Bower, who said its greenhouses employ some impressive technology and innovations.
Photos by Bower, assistant professor of horticulture

Dining Services Events Faculty & Staff Students

Teamwork makes the screams work

Friends hold onto each other in the "haunted" welding lab, banking on safety in numbers.

Campus neighborhoods were alive with the shrieking, giggling sounds of Halloween again this season, as a crowded slate of activities helped Penn College students, employees and friends toll the witching hour. Among the boo-tiful bounty were The Village’s annual family night; welding’s “Arc Asylum 5.0,” which has grown more elaborately eerie each year; a “Trunk or Treat” automotive showcase; a “Karaoke Costume Party,” sponsored by the Student Engagement Office; Dining Services’ colorful Halloween Boofet; creative co-workers and students in “Guess who?” garb; and horticulture students’ whimsical scarecrows in nearby Way’s Garden.

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